UPSC Exam Preparation: Topic of the Day – Directorate General of Trade Remedies (DGTR)

The Government of India, in recent years has initiated various safeguard measures such as countervailing duty, anti-dumping duties to ensure that the domestic industries are not affected by the increasing instances of unfair trade practices. In order to provide a level playing field to the domestic industries, amendments were made to the Government of India (Allocation of Business rules), 1961 for the creation of Directorate General of Trade Remedies (DGTR) in the Department of Commerce. The amendments were made after a notification was issued by the Union Ministry of Commerce and Industry.

Details:

The DGTR will be apex national authority for administering all trade remedial measures including anti-dumping, countervailing duties and safeguard measure.

The DGTR will function as an attached office of Department of Commerce. The recommendation of DGTR for imposition of Anti-dumping, countervailing & Safeguard duties would be considered by the Department of Revenue.

Directorate General of Anti-dumping and Allied duties (DGAD), Directorate General of Safeguards (DGS) and Safeguards (QR) would be merged into one single entity, DGTR, making it an integrated single umbrella National Authority.

Merging of DGAD and DGS will result in savings of about 49 posts in the government in alignment with the Government’s goal of “Minimum government and maximum governance”.

It will also bring in a substantial reduction of the time taken to provide relief to the domestic industry.

DGTR draws the skill set of various officers of various ministries in the fields such as Law, Costing, Economics, Finance, Customs, Revenue and International Trade, hence serving as a multi-service organization.

Trade defence support would be provided by the DGTR to our domestic industries and the exporters in dealing with the trade remedy investigations instituted by the other countries against them.